


Inference

by pickleplum



Series: Owl and Dragon [20]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Athene Noctua Verse, Developing Friendships, Gen, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, winged!Hermann
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-04
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-18 05:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1416226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickleplum/pseuds/pickleplum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aleksis puts the pieces together the first day he meets Hermann Gottlieb.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inference

**Author's Note:**

> All dialogue takes place in Russian.

A week after Aleksis Orlov arrives at the Jaeger Proving Grounds in Kodiak the colonel in charge of his schedule promises the afternoon's meeting will be interesting and, for once, Aleksis agrees. Today he and Sasha Kaidanovskaya, soon to be his co-pilot, meet the man responsible for making their under-construction machine, _Cherno Alpha_ , a soldier instead of a statue.

Already the man, this programmer, has a bit of legend about him. Fittingly, Aleksis thinks, as he built the operating system for _Brawler Yukon_ in four months. Yes, yes, he led a team of coders, but the kernel, the heart of the software, is his.

The fragile-looking man with the ramrod-straight back wearing the too big sweater and jacket behind the workstation does not match Aleksis' mental image. He expected a certain degree of flamboyance from a man capable of such feats. Instead, the programmer reminds him of his primary school math teacher, right down to the fine chain attached to his glasses. His fingers dance across the keyboard and he focuses on his screen as Aleksis, Sasha, and the colonel enter.

The colonel clears his throat and the man spins his chair to face them and jumps to his feet, bracing himself against the work surface as he does. Aleksis notes and files his uneven posture ('spinal problems'), the way he clearly favors his right leg ('knee injury'), a cane leaning against the station ('serious knee injury'), the abrupt removal of his glasses ('farsighted'), and his intense, intelligent brown eyes sizing Aleksis up just as he scans him ('wary').

Aleksis reads much from the little man’s eyes and firm stance. _Here is a man used to facing threats alone and who has stood alone for a very long time_ , _without giving quarter to anyone_. This man needs no theatrics to impress Aleksis. His eyes are enough.

Even so, in the harsh light of the office, the programmer does not look like a well man: pale, thin (‘overworked’), muscles twitching from nervous spasms (‘anxious’), dark circles under his eyes (‘pushes self to limit’).

Aleksis waits while the colonel makes introductions. Doctor Hermann Gottlieb ('German') greets them in strongly accented Russian (‘not German, British. A third language?') and makes no move to embrace the pilots or shake their hands. He merely nods.

Sasha steps forward into the pause and welcomes Gottlieb Russian fashion, grasping his shoulders and kissing him lightly on each cheek. Gottlieb returns the gestures stiffly, but without shock ('understands Russian etiquette'). Aleksis follows his partner's lead. The shape of Gottlieb's shoulders feels strange under Aleksis' hands. His bones sit wrong and unlike any other person's. Gottlieb expression registers that Aleksis' fingers linger a beat longer than necessary and the programmer leans back slightly to escape his touch ('contact averse').

The doctor reclaims his seat as the colonel leaves him alone with Aleksis and Sasha. He quickly and clearly explains the customization process for _Cherno_ ’s software they will begin tomorrow. They will practice in the simulator while the doctor watches the core operating system for places where upgrades can be made to bring _Cherno_ ’s responses as close to her pilots’ as possible. He will also search for ways to input commands for the Jaeger’s special weapons which will not disturb the flow of Aleksis’ and Sasha’s movements. _He will make the three of us one_ , Aleksis muses.

The process takes several days. Once finished with _Cherno_ , Gottlieb will begin again with the next Jaeger scheduled for completion, _Triton Tasmania_ , and her pilots. Aleksis’ eyes widen at the punishing schedule and he comes to a decision.

"Perhaps, Doctor, you will join us for dinner off the base?" Aleksis asks. "It is already nearly time for dinner."

Sasha chimes in, "The colonel will pay," when Gottlieb hesitates.

Gottlieb blinks at both of them, clearly confused ('unused to kindness').

"It's alright, Doctor. We will feed you dinner, not eat you for dinner," Sasha jokes, clapping a strong hand on the man's upper arm and he replies with a nervous laugh and a nod. They wrap themselves in coats—the doctor’s much too light for the Alaskan autumn—and set out for a small Russian restaurant catering to local fishermen outside the boundaries of the base. Gottlieb moves slowly, cautiously across the uneven sidewalks, depending on his cane for balance. Aleksis and Sasha slow their usual brisk pace to match his and carefully position themselves to block as much wind as possible from reaching the doctor in his thin jacket.

Gottlieb drinks only a single vodka before the meal, saying more will cause problems with his medication ('chronic pain, anxiety, or depression'). Aleksis’ respect for the doctor’s strength grows. He not only fights Kaiju, but his own body and brain chemistry. _This is a man I wish to know better_ , Aleksis thinks. _He is truly remarkable_.

Sasha keeps the conversation lively and, after some initial reticence, Gottlieb participates fully as talk rambles from the Kaiju (‘well informed’), to the UN (‘politically savvy’), over literature (‘well-read’), their families (‘misses his siblings deeply’), and the doctor’s visit to Moscow years earlier. Aleksis, as usual, relaxes back in his chair and watches, subtly studying both Sasha and Gottlieb, missing nothing.

Despite his frame, the doctor eats nearly as much of the rich food as the taller and heavier Sasha (‘fast metabolism or eating disorder’). Even after several cups of strong tea, Gottlieb yawns widely and wavers in his seat, clearly on the brink of complete exhaustion.

They will return early and force the man to sleep, Aleksis decides. Not even the strongest, bravest soldier can fight without rest. The doctor may have courage and an iron will, but his body cannot take the same strain.

On the walk back to the base, Sasha links arms with the little man, gently taking up a share of his weight to make the trip easier on him. The doctor says nothing, but expresses gratitude for both Sasha’s help and her circumspection in offering it with a small smile.

Outside the door to Gottlieb’s quarters, Aleksis drowns the doctor in a great embrace. The little man goes absolutely rigid at the touch, before relaxing with a shaky exhaled breath and returning the hug. The doctor trembles in his arms, the tremor of a person desperate for affectionate contact. Aleksis' heart breaks at the realization.

As he steps back, Aleksis flicks his fingers at Sasha in their old signal for her to follow his lead. They can, at least, provide another bit of touch before they go. Gottlieb accepts her grip with something which might be resignation or may be relief. They bid him goodnight and he closes and locks the door behind himself.

Back in their quarters, Aleksis speaks as he pulls off his clothes before sleep. "So what secret do you think our little hero hides?" he asks. "His body is wrong. His shoulder bones are wrong and there is a wrong texture on his back under all those clothes."

"I felt," Sasha replies. "What disease could be the cause?"

"I do not think it is a disease, Sasha," Aleksis answers. "I think he has wings, like a bird. I could feel them move under my hands when I held him. The texture, the softness, is feathers. He wears some special garment to press them to his back to try and hide them."

Sasha studies his face. "That is a bold hypothesis, Aleksis, even for a fantasist like you," she says.

"It is the one that makes the best sense."

"Yes, my brilliant bear, it is," she purrs. "No surprise he is so nervous, then. That is quite a secret to keep."

"It is a secret which must be kept. Many would hurt or reject him for this. Such an extraordinary man deserves better than that."

"How do you think these wings came to be?" Sasha asks.

"Does it matter, Sasha? He is who he is and he is our friend, yes?” Aleksis says and Sasha nods.

"Should we tell him we know?"

"No, I do not think so. Telling him will make him feel unsafe and distract him from his work. We will keep the secret for him," Aleksis answers.

"Then we will need to watch over our little owl," Sasha declares. "There are far too many cats in this place."

With that, the pair climb into bed, fit themselves together like puzzle pieces, and fall asleep and into a shared dream.

**Author's Note:**

> The root of the surname ‘Orlov’ is the Russian word for ‘eagle’. You’ll also note that upon marriage, Aleksis took Sasha’s surname. I liked that little bit of fancanon too well to not use it.
> 
> I’ve heard that when a person learns a third language, they tend to speak it with the accent for their second language, rather than that of their mother tongue.
> 
> While the wiki calls the Jaeger _Tango Tasmania_ , it seems odd that two Jaegers would have ‘tango’ in their names (the other being _Coyote Tango_ , of course), so I’ve swapped it for another word that I think sounds both appropriately badass and has the proper ‘pop’.
> 
> The wiki gives a ridiculously low weight for Sasha, 124 pounds, which is less than the lowest ideal weight for her height by almost ten pounds. She’s a big girl with a lot of muscle mass on a large frame, which by the ideal weight charts I’ve seen indicate her weight would be somewhere north of 150 pounds. Light ideal weight for a little guy like Hermann (and not our skeletally unique Athene!Hermann, either) is around 140-145 pounds, which is what is given on the wiki for him. This Hermann is considerably lighter than that, not that the Kaidanovskys know it at this point.


End file.
